Between Two Worlds
by CrimsonFireflies
Summary: She is a Princess, He is a Prisoner. It's just that simple. No matter how hard they try to meet, their world is still far too different.
1. Cold and Dark world

_Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid_

Between Two World

_It's dark_

_It's cold_

_Inside this fathomless cage, I bound to infinite pain, bruises and wounds coloring my body. I am a shell, a shell used as experiment. The Kingdom has sentence me for forever imprisonment inside this cold cage. How long it has been? I can't … remember it anymore. I am a sinner, a demon. Therefore they need to keep me here._

_I look out from the small hole on the corner of my cage. Using my entire strength to raise myself, I peek from the hole. The outside is bright and warm. I could see many people walking back and forth crowding the street. Carriage crossing, bard singing, merchant selling, kids playing, it's a busy street. But it's better than my lonely cage. Sometimes I think to go outside, accepting the radiance from the sun, receiving breezes from the sky although I know … its impossible dream to achieve. I live in different world from them. Besides … people will feel disgusted when they see me. My green hair is dirty and messed up. My skin has dark spots and stinks. In addition, prisoner don't have right to choose, they should wait inside their cage till they decay._

_It's a cold day today. Outside is raining cats and dogs. Today I could not see the scene of busy street. The rain gets in my way to see my favorite view. The rain has isolated me once again from outside. The wounds in my thigh I receive today hurt so much. It's completely leaves a mark on my skin, the guards gets angry because I don't eat the food so he whips me. Although he should know that I can't even reach the food placed in front of my cell entrance cause the condition of my feet. I already forget since when it's broken. I am afraid that the guards will hit me again, so I try my best to drag my heavy body towards the food. Luckily my hands could still barely move. I must finish the food before he comes back. _

_The spring season gonna end soon as I keep sitting here. Summer will arrive soon, roasting the street's brick. I want to see dandelions, so today I beg the guards to take me outside. I failed. In return they give two more scars on my back and no food for 3 days. I should have known it's impossible, so … why did I bother to try? Once again I am back in my cage. _

_Three days without food render me to a lifeless state. Lying on the floor, I try to lick the dust on the floor, eat the small rocks with my heavy body in my way. I try any possible method to survive. I drink the water puddle which comes from drops of water leaking on the ceiling. Anything is ok, as long I could survive. I can' stand the hurt on my stomach, but it's better than starving. One of the guards laugh at me saying my life is no different than a dog. I ignore it, why should I deny it? He is right, I am no more than a dog right now. A dog should act as a dog. I already lost my pride. Lowering it a bit more won't hurt me much. I already hurt too much._

_I try to remember the reason I was inside this sad and cold world. But I don't remember, maybe it's been too long already. Definitely it has eaten 5 years of my life, its starts from 12 till 17 now. I hope someone would tell me about it. Misery is yet another world I don't want to enter. _

_The blue light stream through the fence of my prison, it's enlightening my cage with blue lights. At that moment, I know … it's a full moon. The blue glows calm me. I am surprised that actually I could still see something like this. Perhaps it's not all bad staying here. If I go outside, could I see this scenery again? It's not long before I notice someone enter my cage. She is … not a guard. The way she dresses is completely different from them. She is more like … a princess I think. _

_Pink hair and luxury clothes, what's a princess doing here? _


	2. Warm and Bright world

_What is a princess doing here? She must not come near me, I am stink and ill. I don't want her to get my disease. The princess smile at me, maybe she is mocking me. I should be grateful that she smiles at me regardless of what reason. I drag my body near her to lick her shoes to show my gratitude. The princess kneels down and pats my head. I raise my head to look at her only to be replied by another smile. She is very beautiful when she smile._

_I distance myself from her. I told her not to get too close with me since I have a disease. But she said she has a healthy body so it's not a problem and thus she sit beside me. She asks me a lot of questions, some regarding myself some about her. When she talks about herself, she smiles a lot. Whenever she smiles, it makes her cuter. Saying how happy she is, saying that she is already happy with her current life. Her life is like a fairy tale, very pure and innocent. Without I realize I spend hours after hours listening to her story. I enjoy listening to her, but after a while she excuses herself. It's very late already so she needs to go back, she wave at me and I wave at her. Eventually I return to my cold world while she returns to her warm world. _

…

…

…

_It's another rainy day. Finally today they give me food. I quickly move my body and eat as much as possible. People will feel disgusted when they see me right now. I am like a beast eating on his prey. I bet she will also feel disgusted seeing me like this. Lately I keep daydreaming all day thinking about her. It's weird how her words caught my interest. Even though it's not my first time to talk with a noble, but she gives off a friendly aura. That girl … when will she come again? Probably never. I am stinks and disgusting, there is no need to waste her precious times just to visit me. I do not deserve it, our worlds is far too different._

…

…

…

_I am surprised today she comes to visit me again at night. She is dressed in white gown along with red ribbon on her hair. Her appearance today just surprised me. I thought … she won't come anymore. She smile at me again, I really like her smile. It's beautiful. Why did she always smile at me? Is it her habit to smile at stranger like that? _

_For the first time, I let out my voice to talk with her. We talk a lot, mostly about my life or her life. I like the story of her life, it's always talk about a pure world where no conflict exist. Dreams, family, friends, wealth and happiness exist in her world. The more I heard about it, the more I hate myself. Why must I choose this kind of life when I could chose the life as pure as her? Maybe if I realize this sooner, things won't turn out like this. But if I am not in this cage … will she appear in my life? Will I? Able to talk with her like this?_

_I ask her, "Why do you smile a lot?" without thinking, she instantly answer me, "Because I am with you". I don't understand the meaning behind her answer. I thought she would say because she is happy that she smiles. There is nothing good staying with a criminal with incurable disease. "Don't you feel disgusted at me?" I ask again. She stares at me with a childlike questioning look. But suddenly she lean forward and hug me tightly. She sticks her cheek to mine and wiggle her head continuously like a kid. "No, I don't, you are warm" she said. I feel sadder when she reply like that, there is no need for her to do this. I just want her to continue living inside her fairy tale world. My cold world is too cruel for someone pure like her. _

…

…

…

_Today she comes again, dressed in her favorite white gown. I have been gathering courage to tell her not to come again. Somehow it's always stopped the moment she smiles at me. My words stuck in my throat, can't come out. Deep inside my mind, I am happy that someone likes her want to talk with me. But this world is not a right place for her to enter. There are much better places than this place. Out of so many places, why must she choose this place? This place is stinks, dirty, cold and cruel. Definitely not a right place for her to come. _

_She sits beside me again, talking about anything happened to her on these past few days. The Princess is an inclusive person. She doesn't mind to talk about anything including her own clumsiness. She told me several time about how easily she tripped whenever she runs. I laugh at her when I heard this. For the first time I saw her pouting at me. I thought that she is always cheerful but who knows actually she could also show pisses expression. _

_I also surprised when I laugh, it's been ages since I last laugh. I nearly forget how to laugh, but having her by my side makes me remember it again. Truly, I am glad that she is here today._

…

…

…

_Today, it's another rainy day. Soon summer will come and spring will go. To be honest, I don't really care about season so much. Whether it's hot or cool, it won't affect the cold inside this cage. I guess I lost a chance to tell her again. It's better for her to stop coming to this place. I try persuading the guard so that they will move me to another prison in town, but they refuse, leaving me no choice but to think about another method. The rain is getting bigger while I keep thinking about it. The best and easiest way it to tell her directly, but whenever she is around, I can't let those words out. The more I think, the more I confuse. I want her to stop visiting me but … at the same time I also longing for her smile, her voice and her face. _

_Suddenly, I am shocked with the scenery caught by my eyes. I really can't believe it. She is standing in front of me wearing soaked black dress. Droplets of water drop from her hair. She smiles at me with her flushed cheek and trembling body. She immediately hugs me the moment I lay my eyes on her hair. The little Princess is clutching to my chest with white puffs coming out from her mouth. I want to ask what happen, but seeing her trembling body. I could only think to shut my mouth for now. I hold her closer to share warmth. The Princess just stays silent there while still clutching to my chest. Tears start to drop from her eyes. I don't know why she is sad. Her surprise today ceased my thinking to stop her from visiting me. Right now, I am only thinking about the methods to comfort her. _

_Why are you crying, Princess? What make you so sad?_


	3. Hundred Paper Planes

_Hours passed and The Princess was still crying. My clothes were wet from her tears which sipping into it. I tried to stroke her hair hoping it would make her feel better. But it's no use, she was still crying. _

_Tick tock_

_Tick tock_

_Tick tock_

_I could hear the sounds of the clock ticking. Without realizing it, I found out she was not crying anymore. Everything turned to silence with only the sounds of clock and the rain. Then … why can't I say anything? I … I should be asking her right? Then … why … why I staying silent? Is my heart telling me it's not a good idea to ask now? _

_Just like that, the time kept on moving … and we kept staying on the same position. Suddenly I realized another sound existed besides the ticking sound of the clock and pouring sound of the rain. I didn't know what kind of sound it was. It was steady and calm like breeze blowing gently at night. I thought it was a humming sound, but I chuckled when I looked at the Princess. It wasn't a humming sound. It was the sound of snore. She fell asleep, after crying so long, she must have felt tired already. It's not a wonder that she fell asleep immediately. I think … this was the part where I need to wait for her to wake up. But was it okay for her to stay too long in here?_

_Hours passed. In a blink of eye night visit me again. It was the usual night which comes every day. Just for today though …. It was a bit different than usual. She was still sleeping in my arms. It's very late already and no matter how hard I called her, she wouldn't wake up. I wonder why the guards never showed up when I am with her. If the guard comes in and sees this scene, it might be easier for me to stop her from visiting me. _

_Tick tock_

_Tick tock_

_Tick tock_

_I turned my head towards the clock, it was midnight already. Outside of cage, the rain was still pouring. Even if she wants to go back, I think she couldn't. She finally woke up from her deep slumber. She slowly opened her eyes, revealing her unique colored iris. She yawned and rubbed her itchy eyes and then stared at me. She stared for a long time. I found it quite embarrassing being stared by her like that. I turn my eyes away. I bet she saw my flushed face. She giggled at the way I act. This is the first time I showed this kind of reaction to her. Hearing her giggling voice, I took a peek at her face. She was smiling as usual, yes … Her usual kind and pure smile. I wonder … maybe … I am attracted to her._

_I asked her why she cried. But she didn't answer, instead her facial expression changed. She became a bit sad when I asked her. I didn't know what thoughts entered my mind that time. I just unconsciously patted her head. Her eyes opened wide in that split of moment as she raised her head in wonder. At the same time I was also surprised what I did to her. "If … if it could make you feel better, I am willing to listen" I had said those words without hesitation. The Princess hung her head down and sat beside me. _

_Apparently, her pet was missing. Her pet had been part of her precious family and they had grown up together. They shared deep bond ever since they were small. That's why it was a shock to her when it went missing. Her pet was a dog, and it was a rare dog. A dog with yellow fur and aquamarine eyes, even common people wouldn't be able to see it for the rest of their life. I don't know what it feels like when your pet went missing but I know what it feels when your family gone. It hurts … it hurts so much … it feels like a huge needle pierce right through you heart leaving a scar which will never heal. _

_She buried her face on her hands and started to cry again. I found it strange …I have experienced that. I should know what it felt like and how painful it was. Then … why do I feel she is suffering greater pain than I have? Was it because … she had been living in that pure world up till now? I really don't understand …_

"_It will be alright" I tried to comfort her, but she just kept crying. Even if I wanted to help, I am probably not helping at all. Our world is far too different. I am bound to this cold world forever. All I could do was help her through words._

…

…

…

_It was another rainy day. Strange … even though summer was near, how come there's still rain? I just sit on the corner side with my usual expression. I cursed myself for being helpless. Why I am so powerless? This cold world has robbed almost everything I have. I can't even comfort a girl crying in front of me. But this might be good, if she knew I am like this, maybe she will stop visiting me. After all no one needs a broken doll._

_It's been 2 days since she last visited me. I guess … she really hates me right now. That's good too. God hear my wish and make it come true. Nothing good will happen if she kept wasting her time with me._

_Lately I have been daydreaming a lot. I no longer know what I am thinking. I just … keep spacing out. Maybe its mean my time is reaching the end. That's good. I had enough living in this cold world. Dying doesn't sound so bad._

_Suddenly I heard chatters. It's came from a crack on wall of my cage, the usual spot where I could see the outer world. They are talking about folding one hundred paper planes. Haha … kids these days, I don't know why they are happy doing such meaningless work. Then I heard them say that they will scatter it on the highest building in town. What was the meaning of doing it? In the middle of my thought, I suddenly called those kids through the hole. They heard my voice and then they turned their heads towards the hole where I am currently located. _

"_Yes Mister?" the blond haired kid asked. I opened my mouth and spoke. "Kid, when you are done folding the hundred paper planes, would you please write something on the paper?" A gray haired kid suddenly cut in and shouted at me. "No way Mister! We are doing this for his mom". He was referring to the blond haired kid whom I talked to. At the moment I was confused, so I asked them, "What do you mean?"_

"_His mom is ill. We are writing our prayer for her recovery on the paper planes and scatter it on the sky. So that our pray would reach heaven. We can't write other words there Mister!" said the gray haired boy. I felt guilty about asking them my request, and then I asked the blond haired boy, "Have you brought your mom to a clinic?" The blond haired boy shook his head, "We are poor". I thought for a while after hearing those words, these poor kids … they were just like a reflection of my memories. They were still kids. The possibility of them doing the fatal mistakes in their life was very high. They started to leave, but I called them once again which caused the gray haired boy to glare at me. But it can't be helped, I have asked something unnecessary, I deserved it. I reached my pocket and took out three jewels with different color each. These jewels had been part of my precious memories. Since I am going to die soon, there was no need for me to keep them anymore._

_I pushed the green jewel on the hole and it fell on the other side. The blond haired kid was shocked. He stared at me with disbelief in his eyes, followed by his friends. I told him to use the gem so that he could take his mother to a doctor. In exchange, they should write my words on the paper planes. The blond haired kid stares at me for a while then tears dropped down from his eyes. And then I told them the words I want them to write on the paper. "Thank you, Mister!" he said. And with that they happily ran away, leaving me. I stared at their back and pray to God hoping they will not trapped inside this cold world like me._

…

…

…

_Another unfilled day and she still not come. Loneliness started to grow inside me, but I ignored it. I learned not to be selfish from past because it will hurt people around you. So no matter how lonely I am, I won't cry nor run. I will just stay here ignoring it. Lately I have been thinking about whether those kids would do my request or not. If they would then I am grateful, if they won't then so be it. Now that I think about it, why would they fold the paper planes when they have already achieved their goal? The jewel was enough to take them out from poverty. There was no need to listen to a hopeless man's request. I laughed at myself. Laughing at how foolish I was. I guess I really am hopeless. I should have realized that greed was human's biggest weakness yet I chose to believe in them. How foolish._

_During these past few days, I started to realize it was getting harder for me to move my body. My legs were broken. My hands could no longer move. I couldn't even reach the food placed in front of me. Now that I think about it, within these past 3 days I wasn't able to touch my food at all. _

_I looked at the guard who was angry at me. I don't know what he said, but definitely it was not a pleasant word. With my half opened eyes, I kept staring at him. He whipped me several times, but what's the point of doing so? My nerves are dead so no matter how hard he tried, it was pointless. I could only see crimson liquid streaming down from my skin. I think it had been 1 hour ever since he started whipping me, he felt exhausted after punishing me for such a long time yet I still didn't show any reaction._ _I couldn't show it even if I want to. I could hear him shouting: "Fine! If you don't want to eat! Just wait here till you decay!" Those were the only words I could hear clearly. It's not that I don't want to eat. It's just that my body that doesn't want to move. What has gotten into me? Is this how it feels when you are going to die? It doesn't sounds so bad. I could not feel hurt or pain. Soon I could finally leave this cold world. _

_Editor : BuyMeABlueLolipop_


	4. Encounter

"_Mister!"_

_Huh?_

"_Mister!"_

_What the-_

"_Mister!"_

_I opened my eyes in an instant. Who's been calling me? I looked at my surroundings, searching for the voice that woke me up from my sleep. The voice came from the hole. I took a peeked into the hole … it was the blond kid from before. What does he want? _

"_What's wrong?" I asked. _

_He smiled, saying that he was done with the request. Huh? I thought … they had already forgotten about it. He came to thank me and he said his mother has recovered. _

_I told him, I was happy for him. The kid pushed some money through the hole, "I might not be able to pay you back, but please take it. I will pay back little by little"_

_I shook my head, saying it was unnecessary. But he kept on insisting to give the money. I don't need something like this. What's the point of giving money to a corpse? I won't be able to use it. _

_We kept arguing about it till I heard the iron door opened. I told him to go away. It was dangerous for him to keep staying here. He cast an angry glare at me before he went away, leaving the money on the hole. I quickly turned away from the hole, I was afraid the guard saw it. _

_As I turned back, I let out a sigh of relief. No one actually appeared in front of me. It must be wind. I turned back my sight at the money he left there. Why won't he listen to me? I really don't need it. I took the money and kept it inside my pocket. I need to give it back … but … how? My time will end soon._

…

…

…

_It seems I finally couldn't take it anymore. For the whole day I only sat here without doing anything. It has gotten worse than my previous condition. My mind was blank. I didn't know what to do anymore._

_The blue faint light reached my cell that night. My dark world was now glowing with blue light. It must be full moon today. Haha … I never thought I could see it again. It was the same like that day, when the blue light had been spreading inside my cold world. She appeared in front of me. Smiling at me, I think that was when gear of fate started to turn inside me. I could still remember it clearly, that day she talked about her fairy tale life. Yes … her fairy tale life. The pure and innocent world she lived in. I like it when she told me about it, since very time she ends her story, she always show me her smile. And … her pure world made me grateful that I was still alive. _

_I closed my eyes and started to hum. It was a song which my parents taught me. For me … it was a good luck charm. Whenever I felt lonely, I would sing it. After all I have always liked this song, it was gentle yet sad. I kept humming the song with my eyes closed. I felt much better._

"_It's good, where did you learn it?" my eyes immediately opened when the voice reached my ears. Princess! Why are you here? She appeared in front of me, after such long time, I thought she won't come anymore yet right now she is standing right in front of me, showing her smile that grew fond of. _

_She ran towards me and hugged me. My eyes opened wide at the moment she embraced me. It was … warm. When our skin touched, somehow … I could felt the warmth which traveled inside her body. Her head is beside mine, she was letting out crying voice. I could heard it clearly, her sad voice. But it was different from last time, I was sure … she was not crying because she felt sad._

_She kept repeating the words "Thank you" along with her tears which kept falling from her eyes. She kept crying, pouring all her emotion that came from her heart. I didn't know what to do. I moved my hand to her back and pushed her gently against my body. By staying like this, I hoped it could make her felt better. _

_After crying for a while, she finally calmed down. But she still didn't want to release her hug. Rather she held me tighter. Just as I thought, it' was really warm. Even though I was inside a cold world, she could make me feel warm. "I miss you" she whispered. Her words flowed inside my ear like a pleasant breeze. I could not see her face, but I know … she must be smiling right now. It's so like her after all._

_I released my hands that was wrapped on her back. She moved backwards and looked at me. She giggled. I asked her why she laughed. She said it was weird that we didn't know each other name even though we have been together for pretty long time. I laughed a bit, I also just realized, I didn't know her name. Ever since we first met, we just kept talking nonstop. I guess … it was really weird that we didn't know each other name up until now. _

"_Iroha … my name is Iroha. What's your name?"_

"_Nigaito … Nigaito Shion"_

"_Shion … "_

_Princess kept repeating my last name followed with giggles. She said that she liked it when she called me like that. She was really childish … it was good thing that she is so pure. _

_I tried calling her name. Her face turned red the moment I called her, as red as my face right now. I couldn't help but smile when she acted like that, since her face was so red, like an apple. She smiled back at me with her reddened face. We kept repeating each other's name while facing each other. It felt weird … I didn't know why, but I felt that heat was gathering on my face when I called her. She hugged me again. Her head was next to mine. _

_I asked her, why she thanked me. She grabbed me tighter. She then took out a paper plane and showed it to me. I smiled and understood when I saw it, the paper plane which contains the announcement about her missing dog. She said, thanks to this, she has found back her family._

_I said she should thank those kids instead of me. I was happy if she could found back her family. I told her there is no reason for her to feel grateful to a hopeless man like me. She stayed silent when I said those words. No happy tone, just a silent atmosphere lingering between us. Was she angry? Might be so, I was saying unnecessary words again. _

_Suddenly I remember, I supposed to told her not to come again and … soon my times would end. I could not say it before, but right now … I have enough courage to tell her. If I want to tell her, now is the time. I better tell her quickly while we stayed like this in which I could not see her face. If I see her face again, her smile will get in my way._

_She broke the silence and just the moment before I opened my mouth. The moment she spoke, time moved slowly. What? What did you say? Why everything become so slow all of a sudden? I realized … the reason was because of the words you said. Are you serious? Why … why …did you say those words? Hey … I am nothing, right? I never thought … you would go that far. _

_**Editor : BuyMeABlueLolipop**_


	5. Unexpected Thought

"_I will free you from this cage"_

_Those were the words she said that day. It has been 5 days since then and I still haven't decided how to answer her. Should I return to that world? To that bright and warm world where she exists? No … I can't … I am … too dangerous for her. I don't know why, but I just felt scared if I do return to that world … something terrible might happen but … I felt like it wouldn't happen to me. I was-_

"_Shion, let's eat together"_

_While I was too busy thinking about it, I didn't notice that she was already in front of me, holding an apple. Her eyes sparkling at me, as if telling me to ate it. Unfortunately, I was not in the mood right now. Not even my favorite food could distract me now. She tilted her head once she realized my unusual reaction. _

"_What's wrong?" she asked_

"_Nothing" I said_

_I turned my gaze away from her. I couldn't bear looking straight to her eyes. She pouted at my behaviour. It was during that time. Suddenly she moved her face closer to mine. Making me could not avoid the stare from her eyes._

"_Really?" she asked with serious tone this time_

_I knew I won't be able to say another excuse. Once she detected even a slightest lies from you, she will never let it go. She was that kind of person. Knowing that she has successfully caught my line of lies, I no longer have a choice but to tell her the truth. I told her about the question she asked me 5 days ago and my intention to refuse her offer. She smiled when I told her and sat beside me. _

_She only asked me one question: "Why?"_

"_Because … my arms and legs are broken" I said_

"_Don't worry about it, I could call a doctor to fix it" she said followed with a giggle. _

"_I am stinky and disgusting"_

"_When you take a bath you won't"_

"_I am hopeless"_

"_You helped me find back my dog"_

"_I am a criminal"_

"_You are my friend"_

"_I am hated by everyone"_

"_They no longer will"_

"_I'm … going to die soon"_

_No answer was replied from her after I spoke my last statement. Now I immediately regretted saying those words. I went too far already. I should apologize._

"_No you won't"_

"_Huh?"_

_I turned my eyes toward her. She smiled at me._

"_No … you won't die …because I am not going to let you die"_

_I turned my eyes away, slowly burying my face within my folded knee before I started to speak again._

"_Why … would you go so far for someone like me?" I asked once again._

_In split of second right after those words slipped out of my lips, I could felt both of her hands landed softly on my cheeks. She raised my head. At that moment my eyes could not stop looking at determination reflected on her irises. I realized… she was serious._

"_Never said those words again" she said with a bit angry expression._

_I didn't know why she was angry. I didn't say anything wrong. There was no reason for her to help me. I tried to tell her those words, but stopped by her firm stare. Those two eyes, it's as if it could see right through my mind. Arguing with her was no use, she would never cancel her intention._

"_I'm … sorry" I apologized_

_Her smile was back again when I admitted my defeat._

"_It's settled then" _

_I nodded in agreement with her. After all I could not persuade her if she kept insisting like that. Actually … I was happy that someone like her cared for me, but at the same time, I also felt scared. There was something dangerous inside me. It was also the reason why I was locked inside this cold world. I wondered … was it the best choice to let her know … or … was it the worst choice that I would regret for the rest of my life?_

…

…

…

_Ever since that day, our daily activities became a bit different than usual. She was visiting like she would do before … but … sometimes she brought a doctor with her, to check my condition. I could not say anything to oppose her. And besides I knew that there was no way my broken arm and leg could be fixed so easily. That was what I thought that time. But I was too naïve, I should have known, Princess was the stubborn type who persist until the end. When one doctor can't not do it, she brings another one. Her life cycle was like that, she would not give up before she reached the end of the road. _

…

…

…

_Day after day passed like a leaf falling from the tree. Without me realizing, the outer world has entered autumn season. It was like … my whole life during summer was skipped. I never expected that time could move so fast. Or was it me who was too slow? _

…

…

…

_Little by little, I could move my arm, my broken legs also starting to move. It was hard at first. The doctor said even though I was staying inside a small space, I need to move as much as possible to let my brain remember the process of using them. _

…_._

…

…

_Another month passed. I could finally walk like usual, although not for a long time. But during my rehabilitation time, she visited me only several times. Probably … she was trying to talk with the higher ups about my liberation. Princess … I think … it's impossible. The crime I committed was too heavy. No one will agree to free me._

…

…

…

_It was just like what I thought. Today she came to visit me. She cried when she entered my cage. I asked her why. More tears fell as I asked. She said no one agreed with her, even … her family. I have expected that … after all there was no way they could release me. _

…

…

…

_It was during that night when the moon reached the highest peak. She visited me again at midnight. I found it strange … she was still smiling. Despite that she failed to achieve her intention. Suddenly she stretched her hand and offered it to me. _

_I …without hesitation took her hand. I didn't know what thought entered my mind that time. All I knew was … I was running together with her along a dark hallway. While running, my eyes caught the sight of all guards sleeping soundly, all of them. She turned back her head and smiled at me. Unconsciously … I smiled back at her. I knew … this was wrong … very wrong. But I was now following her. Walking on the path of mayhem which soon will bring regret to me and disaster to her. _

_I didn't know what to do anymore. I just … wanted to stay with her like this. The warm which kept inside her heart was connected to mine through our hand. Princess, did you feet the coldness of my hand? My cold hand was a sign which indicates to who I was. I am afraid not even your warmth can dissolve the coldness inside me. After all we are two sides separated from the same mirror. I could see you, you could see me, but no matter what we do, we cannot help the other side, because we were opposite. _

_I saw the exit shining brightly at me, spreading its radiance to us. We were just a few more steps away from that door of light, the door of light which would lead me to her world. Her world where the warmth of the sun I longed for exist. Her world where the coolness of breeze I missed exist. Her world where … her smile of kindness I loved exist. Finally … finally … I could leave this cold world. _

_**Editor: BuyMeABlueLolipop**_


	6. Life in Town

_It's dark _

_It's cold _

_Where am I?_

_Oh_

_Must be inside that world_

_But nothing exist here, except oblivion_

_I could not see anything, what's wrong with me?_

_Come on, I could still see something_

_Huh?_

_Father? Was that you?_

_Wait! _

_Father turned his head at me and shook his head. His face showed disappointment towards me._

_No! I …I …I didn't intend to … It just …Wait! Please don't leave me here!_

_No matter how fast I ran, I could never reach to him. I was cursed forever, carrying this sin for the rest of my life. All that left was … oblivion_

…

…

…

_*pant_

_*pant_

_I open my eyes and got up just as my dream came to an end. I looked at my both trembling hands, my heart felt like it was gonna gushed out from my body, my body was shivering nonstop. Then I started to cry, tears streamed down one by one from my eyes. I felt fear crawling inside my body. It wanted to eat inside of me, drank my blood, and ate my flesh, the more I imagine how scary it was, the more I felt frightened. Before I knew, I keep repeating the words "I am sorry" to no one. My mind was messed up, nothing was filling my head, everything was scattered, like broken glass. _

_Suddenly I heard a door opened, my sight immediately caught a familiar face of the girl who opened the door. My memories were connected at that moment, I remember everything now. The nightmare I got has made me couldn't remember everything. Seeing my frightened like that, she embraced me like a mother which was calming her own child. Burying my head on her chest, she patted my hand, saying everything will be alright. My trembling hand could finally die when it reached her back. Up until this point, I still can't understand why would she show her kindness towards a stranger like me, to be more exact … why did she visit me in that cold world in the first place? What was it for? Satisfaction? Pride? Or maybe there was another answer which lies beyond my thoughts?_

_It has been 3 days since Princess took me out from that cold world. I didn't know whether I should say that I was finally released from that world, but looks like the cold world never intend to leave me. The town was now in uproar because of the foolish act we did. Right now I couldn't stay inside the town anymore, that's why Princess told me to hide inside this wooden house located on the mountain behind the town. I think no one would notice this place, since no one want to enter this scary forest. _

_I was afraid that I was still not much different than staying inside that cage. The difference was, maybe this time I didn't need to get punished by those guards. There were still some freedom exists inside this house. Princess would visit me once per two days. It was the agreement we made, since visiting me every day would be dangerous. I thought she would disagree with it, but it turned out she didn't object it at all. I was used to live in this kind of environment, so living here was not a problem at all. Instead I prefer living here rather than inside the town. _

…

…

…

_Today was the 6__th__ days since I leave that world. The country was in autumn season now. Since the weather was good today, I decide to take a step outside. Wonder it has been how many years was it since I last saw this kind of scenery. The Fragment of memories which I tossed away long time ago returned little by little. These falling leaves scenery … somehow felt nostalgic. Inside my memory, there used to be three people who would come to this forest, me, him and her. I took out the remaining two jewels in my pocket. Right now … only the blue and the red one left. These jewels were used to be part of my memories. It was also a sign of friendship. I unconsciously sang the song that three of us used to sang together. The song taught by my parents, which was a good luck charm for three of us._

_**Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume**_

_**Ooki na kibou wasurenai**_

_**Juunen-go no hachigatsu mata deaeru no wo shinjite**_

_**Saikou no omoide wo...**_

"_Shion!"_

_I snapped back to reality and turned my head, facing where the voice come from. I knew whose voice it belonged to. I wave at Princess who was pretty far away from me. She was running towards me, once she reached me, she embraced me. I was slightly embarrassed. Hope she didn't realize my reddening cheek. During my time with her, I knew she was a random girl. I have been surprised by her countless of time, no one could predict her movement, she was just too sudden. Well but there was always one part that stayed same from her. She was very childish. She laughed like a child while hugging me. I sighed, there were also exist someone like her in this world. Guess I need to save my nostalgia event for later._

…

…

"_Eh! That's impossible!" I said with panicked voice_

"_It will work well, just trust me!" reply the princess with giggles_

"_Uhhh … it's not matter of trust …"_

_Once again I was shocked with her news. Princess has signed me up as one of the guest in the upcoming Noble Party. It was a party which only nobles could participate. This sudden news from her just scraped my peaceful world in one blink of eye. Commoner … no … I should say criminal like me coming to that place was same like jumping inside the hole which connected directly to hell. It was a suicidal. And here I was … trying hard to refuse her intention to remake me over._

"_People would recognize me immediately, you will be in danger if I am exposed" I tried to convince her_

"_Just trust me, no one will know you" she said with happy grin while holding a scissor on her right hand. She was trying to cut off my hair. _

_For the first time I felt frightened by her presence. She approached me with a creepy smile while holding that scary scissor, I was cornered. Why did I never win against her? Not even once. I sighed at her, raising my two hands, admitting my defeat. _

"_Alright, just … don't cut it too short" I said with low tone_

_She opened wide her mouth happily like a child who just received a present from their parent. _

"_Leave it to me!"_

_Minutes passed, and she was still busy cutting my hair. The sound of scissor's blade cutting my hair was the only voice that lingered around me. She didn't talk at all during this time, maybe she was concentrating. Now I think about it, while living inside the prison, I only cut my hair when necessary. I didn't cut it all the time, only when there was a kind enough guard who would lend me a knife, I will cut it. So it has been pretty long since I last cut it. No wonder my hair already reached my back when I realized it. Maybe … it was a good idea to let her cut it. Though I was a bit afraid what will I looked like after she cut it. _

_Our eyes met when she cut my front bangs. I could saw her face started to change color, as well as mine. Like it or not, she could not avert her eyes, so do I, since one wrong move then I might be laughed at for the rest of my life. Closing my eyes might an option, though if I do it in front of her right now, I would be admitting that I was embarrassed. We realized how each other reacted, so it must be ok to stare like this. But why won't my heart settle down. The situation became more awkward than I thought. The atmosphere was just … too heavy to bear. It was not long before she started to sing the song I which sang earlier to erase the nervousness. _

_**Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume**_

_**Ooki na kibou wasurenai**_

_**Juunen-go no hachigatsu mata deaeru no wo shinjite**_

_**Saikou no omoide wo...**_

_**Deai wa futto shita shukan kaerimichi no kousaten de**_

_**Koe wo kakete kureta ne "Issho ni kaerou"**_

_**Boku wa terekusasou ni**_

_**Kaban de kao wo kakushi-nagara**_

_**Hontou wa totemo totemo ureshikatta yo**_

_I smiled, feeling the emotion inserted inside the song. I only taught her this song once yet she could already sing it so well. I guess this was really a talent. Her voice was as soft as an Angel's voice, very calming and … beautiful. _

_**Aa Hanabi ga yozora kirei ni saite**_

_**Chotto setsunaku**_

_**Aa Kaze ga jikan to tomo ni nagareru**_

_**Ureshikutte tanoshikutte**_

_**Bouken mo iroiro shita ne**_

_Just as that moment arrived, I opened my lip and we sang together. _

_**Futari no himitsu no kichi no naka**_

_**Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume**_

_**Ooki na kibou wasurenai**_

_**Juunen-go no hachigatsu mata deaeru no wo shinjite**_

_**Kimi ga saigo made kokoro kara**_

_**"Arigatou" sakende 'ta koto shitte 'ta yo**_

_**Namida wo koraete egao de sayounara**_

_**Setsunai yo ne **_

_**Saikou no omoide wo...**_

_A song sounded more beautiful when it was sung together. I knew this theory, but … I never expected it would sound so beautiful when we sang it with our heart connected. I was enjoying the song, so did her. Our hearts were connected at this moment. I could felt it, the resonating beat from her heart. It was like … our hearts were calling for each other._

"_It's done!" she suddenly exclaimed before she picked up the mirror on the table and let me saw my new appearance. _

_Huh?_

_I rubbed my eyes several times before I looked at the mirror again. Was this … me? I looked so different with my hair shorter. My bangs no longer covering my eyes, it was like … I was a completely different person, completely different from the face on the wanted poster. My hair were shorter, my face no longer has dark spot and look cleaner. _

"_See! You are different right!" _

"_Ye-yeah … I think so"_

"_Come on!" suddenly Princess pulled my arm._

"_Where to?"_

"_To Town of course!_

"_Eeeh!"_

…

…

…

_Ugh … Why was I here? I felt like I was standing right in front of the hell's gate. Wandering around the town like this was still dangerous. I could see my wanted posters on every corner of the Town. Right now the only thing which could protect my identity was … this robe I wear. I didn't understand why Princess could be so calm. She walked in front of me while humming. If my identity was exposed, she would also in danger._

"_Princess … why could you act so calm?" I walked closer to her_

_When she noticed me asking this, she only smiled at me, "Because you are with me" she said followed with a giggle._

"_Uhh … that's not the poin-"_

"_Look! Those accessories are cute!"_

_Before I could finish my sentence, she already walked aimlessly to the crowd. I became panic at the moment. Without thinking further, I quickly followed her. I kept searching for her among the crowd of people, hopefully that no one will noticed me. Finally, I found her standing in front of accessories merchant, looking at those earrings and necklaces on sale._

"_Princess, don't walk alone like that!" I tried to catch my breath while talking to her. But she ignored me, her eyes right now only directed towards accessories in front of her. She grinned like a child, couldn't took her eyes off it. I sighed and smiled, after all she was still a girl. Seeing her childish side always made me forgot that she was a Princess. _

_Her eyes caught another attention while she kept eyeing on the accessories. She suddenly grinned widely, looking at another thing which attracted her. I tried to switch my sight at the direction where she looked. Just as I looked at it, she immediately walked inside the crowd again. Once again I became panic and followed her. _

_I finally could catch up to her. I was panting. Running under the bright sun in the evening really exhausted me. Hope my legs won't break again. I approached her which was in stunned condition. She was stunned by the attraction performed in front of her. The clowns were performing so many kinds of tricks which I found very attractive. Some was juggling while riding on a ball, some was throwing knife on hanged apple at the tree branch, and some was holding a torch while blowing the flame on it. No wonder Princess was stunned. Such an amazing performance … maybe I would not be able to saw it again for the rest of my life. I took a peek on the princess. Her eyes were brimming full of admiration. I bet this was the first time she saw something like this._

…

…

…

"_Princess, was that your first time seeing those kind of things?" I asked while we were walking on the street after the performance ended._

_She placed her finger under her chin while thinking._

"_Not really, it's just it has been a long time since I last saw this and it always feel the same, amazing as always"_

_I thought her life was has more freedom, so even though she is a princess, there was still restriction placed on her. My instinct told me that Princess gonna run again, that's why I quickly prepare myself to chase after her. I sighed in relief when she suddenly turned around and smile at me. I thought she was gonna run again, I was just thinking too much. _

"_It was amazing, right?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_The life in Town"_

"_Uhh ye-yes, I think so …" somehow I became a bit nervous. Her bright smile never changed at all, always the same. I smiled back at her awkwardly, scratching my cheek with my finger. It was like I was gonna confess to her, my nerves were all rioting inside my body. I wonder what's wrong with me. Did I have another illness which common people got?_

"_Ne ne, Shion!" her shout snap me back from my river of mind. I asked her what's wrong._

"_Would you mind accompany me to some place?"_

"_Place?"_

"_There is somewhere I wanna visit. It has been a long time since I went there"_

_I got a bit worried that I might get caught if I stayed too long, but in the other hand, I think as long that we didn't make any ruckus, everything will be fine. I just need to stay cautious with my surroundings. _

"_Sure, Princess. I would love to…" _

…

…

…

_She brought me to a church, an abandoned church to be exactly. As far as my eyes see, only debris scattered everywhere. Light from outside was struggling to reach this place. This place was worn out yet … I could still see its beautifulness. This place was so big. It was kinda waste to abandon it like this. _

_While I was in deep thought, I suddenly noticed that Princess was not with me anymore. I saw her sleeping soundly under the statue of Jesus. I chuckled. I think she felt safe when she slept there. Though she sure easy to fell asleep._

_Somehow … when I looked at her face like this … it felt like … my past as a prisoner never exist. I was a being who exist inside this warm world together with her. No pain, no tragedy … a peaceful world everyone dreamed off. If only … that was true. I became a bit jealous at the moment. She lived inside that world ever since she was born. She never felt neither pain nor sorrow, only happiness. Why … why did she could have something like that? Why I couldn't? She could smile a lot because she never felt pain … then… if only … if only … she was in my position …_

_I approached her and stare at her sleeping face. So innocent … it was like looking at the clear crystal. Her face didn't show any traces of unhappiness. It was completely white and pure, no stain on it. If … if she was trapped in a cruel fate like me … could she still able to maintain this pureness? I stretched my hand and touched her clear face. It was warm, as my fingertip touched the surface of her skin, I could felt strong warmth crept to my hand, so soft … and … so good. _

_I sat beside the sleeping beauty, looking towards the ceiling, staring at nothing. Idiot … what was I thinking. Nothing changed even if she stepped inside same hell like me. She was my savior, why did I think of torturing her? Just as I thought … I was truly … a monster. Unconsciously … my hand reached the two jewels inside my pocket. I stared at those jewels. _

_Seeing me reflected on this crystal made me remember … that day. When we used to play together … and laugh together. I missed those days … no matter how much I wanted to go back to that time … time would never allow it …._

_My eyelids felt heavy, without thinking further, I closed my eyes to look at the blackness and dove inside another world, garden of dreams, the world where impossible could exist. _

**Disclaimer : I do not own the song or Vocaloid**

**Song : ~Secret Base~ Kimi Ga Kureta Mono (10 years after version)**


	7. The Past Haunt You With Nightmare

_Everything was black. _

_There was nothing but oblivion within my sight. _

_It was dark and cold_

_Nothing was here, it was empty. What did the black color symbolize? Despair? Regret? If I were to look at this now, then it means, no matter where I go, it was always the same. Did this blackness wanted to tell me this fact? I just floating here, wandering inside this oblivion._

_My head felt so empty…_

_My body felt so light…_

_Was I … dead?_

_I am happy if it happened_

_Floating in this endless space, what else it means if it was not dead? There was no space in world for me to live. _

_Something was caught within my empty eyes. I thought only darkness existed here. I never thought there could be something else. It was too far, though, and I could not see it clearly. What was it? It was no good. From there, I could only see a "white thing". I tried to get closer… closer … somehow … the closer I was, the more my heart beat. It seemed so familiar. I wondered what it was. It felt like a drum, echoing gently in my ear. I could heard it clearly, the beating sound of my heart. _

_Suddenly, I felt scared. Once the image became clear in my eyes, fear crawled up my body. So painful … I can't breathe. My eyes widened to twice their size. The fear amplified my heart and made it beat louder than ever. The white figure said something to me … but I don't wanna hear it!_

…_n…_

_I don't want to see it anymore! No! Not like this! Please go away!_

…_o…n…_

_I don't want to think about that day! It's too painful! Please, just leave me alone! Don't make me remember it!_

…_.i…o….n…._

_I … I DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT!_

_SHION!_

_I gasped_

_The shouting woke me up from my slumber. When I opened my eyes, I realized that everything was a dream. The shout pulled me back to reality. __Her panicked expression she showed made me felt confused__. Did she really need to overreact like that? But I was too naïve with my words. I could sense my whole body gone numb. I was sweating a lot. My hands could not stop shaking, my heart beating like crazy, and I kept breathing like the air just refused to stay in. The effect of the fear casted by my dreams still lingered inside me. Was this what they call "fear"? The loud beat which echoed before still, thumping inside me. _

_It was getting louder and louder…_

_Louder…_

_Thumping like mad inside me, as if trying to claim my flesh and rip, rip it apart…_

_All those flashback, rushing inside of me…_

_Those bitter memories…_

_I felt like I wanted to cry…_

_I wanted to scream…_

_But I couldn't …._

_Too much sins living inside this decaying body…_

_They will never forgive me…_

_I want …._

_I want to kill this sinful being…_

_It was not long till I vomited in front of her, the pain that built up inside somehow reacting with my organs. I could not hold this pain much longer. It was not proper to show this kind of thing in front of a lady. But … it suit for someone as rotten as me. _

"_Wait here, I will bring some water!" she said, leaving me in search of water_

_I don't really care whether she wanted to run away or find water. After all, this whole ordeal was really pathetic for a man like me. The pain inside my stomach gushing out … it was painful. I could not hold it any longer. I kept vomiting, again and again. I really hoped someone could just kill me. I don't want to live inside this cycle of torment. _

_Run … Run… Run…_

_I just wanted to run, run away from this cycle. Run away from this life. But not even once did God permit me to. Whenever I ran, I would just return to the starting point, circling around in an endless loop. Each time I ran away, I would drag people around me inside that loop. Just like that time … and that time … this times either…_

_I gasped when Princess Image came to my mind. No … no … I can't let this happen… I don't want to see someone else got hurt anymore._

…

…

_After struggling for an hour, I could finally calm down. Only a bit though. I leaned myself on the nearest wall. My body still refused to stop. At least it was better than before. I no longer vomited those disgusting things anymore. The memories didn't come back anymore, but rather … my mind was blank. I could not think of anything. Nothing … it would sound better if I could die faster._

_I always thought running was the best option. If you got the chance to run, you should use it. If the problem came back, I just need to run again. Nothing good will came out from fighting it, running was always the best option._

_I heard sounds of quick footsteps. Then I heard Princess's voice. She sound really worried. She approached me, moving the glass of water she held into my mouth. I sipped it little by little. She felt a bit relieved when she saw my changing expression. I was still scared. She could saw it through my trembling hand. The fear was too strong. _

_She put down the glass, taking out a handkerchief from her pocket. She wiped away the sweat drops gliding down my face. I still felt sick, but otherwise she still tried to make me felt better. Starting this point, I could saw her usual trademark: a pure, innocent smile. With small hands filled with the kindness of Angels, the girl wrapped her arms around my neck, shifting closer and embraced me gently yet firm. _

"_It's alright. Shion is not alone" she said, stroking my hair. My mind was still empty, but unconsciously I moved my hand to her back and held her tighter._

_The touch from her finger was gentle. The kindness that radiated through her skin was more delicate than I thought. I don't know why, but I just want to stay like this a bit longer…._

_..._

…

_The heavy silent between us continued without a slight change from our position. My hand refused to let her go, as if it was scared that she would go away. It was hard to describe through words whenever she embraced me like this … I felt safe. I don't know whether safe was the proper words or not. It just … I like it … The warmth … and the softness._

"_I am sorry …" I apologized_

"_For what?" her once panicked voice return to her kind voice_

"… _Everything …"_

"_I don't know what you're talking about, Shion never did anything wrong"_

"_Princess, why did you set me free?" _

"_Because Shion is not a criminal"_

_Those words stuck in my mind. I don't understand what she meant. If I was not a criminal, I wouldn't have ended up in there. I wanted to tell her that, but the words stopped in my throat, refusing to come out. Why did you see me like that? You should stop seeing me like that…_

_I chose to stay silent. I was contradicting with myself. I wanted her to go and to not bother, but on the other side, I wanted her to stay beside me. I was selfishly afraid of her leaving._

_She released her arms wrapped around my neck. Through her irises, she stared deeply into my eyes. Her eyes always so fascinating, sparkling like a crystal. _

"_Shion…You will come, right?"_

_I tried to response to it, but I failed. Her smile which I used to see got in my way. Whenever she showed her smile, any actions which I planned before became useless. Nothing I could do to oppose that smile. It does not take long before I realized red color painted her smiling face._

"_S-see you later…" she said nervously, ran away with crimson on her face, leaving me behind. I don't know what happened … but it seemed like it was not a matter which could be fixed in one or two days. _

"_What … what was that?"_

…

…

…

_Three days left before the promised date. To think time flew so fast, I didn't notice it will come faster than I thought. Whenever I thought about the party, I thought about Princess. My brain was a complete mess and I couldn't think straight anymore. These past few days, I wasted my time in town. I knew it was dangerous to wander around like that, but still, I need to spend some time outside. It seemed like Princess wouldn't visit me till the promised date passed. It was a bit lonely, but it's alright, I could bear it._

_The view from the chapel in the afternoon was truly beautiful. I was fascinated by it every time I looked. The orange sky, gathering cloud and setting sun, it was like looking at the painting on a big canvas. Perhaps this was the biggest painting I had ever seen. I was so happy._ _I never thought there could be such a thing as beautiful and endless as this, how pretty._

"_The setting sun is lovely, right? Mister"_

_I was jerked out of my thoughts, hearing that voice. My eyes widened when I saw the glasses-wearing man in his black clothing, gingerly carrying that little doll. Confusion and longing invaded my mind. I could not say anything further at that moment._

"_I am glad you haven't change" the man said, showing a gentle smile._

_Tears leaked out from my eyes, sliding on their journey down my face…_

"_Kiyo nii …"_

**Editor: VocalRaynbow**


	8. He, Who Follow The Path of Blood

Trace Back Memories

_Fireflies storyline_

7 years ago

…

…

…

I never knew what it meant it to be alive. Never did know … and never will. It was too troublesome to learn something complicated like that, I never like abstract words with lot of meaning. It was not worthy for someon- … no … for assassin like me. My name, Shiki which could mean "Demon of Death", was perhaps the only thing I could understand.

All I learned was how to end other's fate, to kill… That was what I have held onto ever since my path got lost in misery. I stayed alive … so that I could see tomorrow's sun. There was no other reason, only that … short and simple. It was not much different from other people, it's just …I stole from others for myself. I've been living this way for 10 years. People say it's the worst kind of thinking, but for me, it was the best. I didn't have anything from beginning; therefore I didn't have anything to lose….

Even right now in age 18, that way of thinking … has never changed …

…

…

…

When there was no job for me, I usually fool around the town, walking from place to place. Doing nothing but gazing at the activities that occurred in town, a pretty boring thing to do for others, but not for me. I love solitude more than anything; interacting with people was so troublesome. If the road was too crowded, I would prefer to stay at home. I don't like crowded place, it annoyed me somehow. That's why … A rainy day like this was a perfect day for me. No one will walk at time like this. I was free to go wherever I wanted without seeing people. I love rain …

But just for today … it was different from my usual, lovely rainy day. A hindrance was interrupting my privacy time. That girl …

…

…

…

It Seemed like God was trying to make me happy. Two rainy days happened in a row, not something I usually got. Perhaps I should be happy about this. The feeling of being hit by small crystals of water on your entire body was so refreshing. Nothing was better than this … The rain … if I look at it from one angle, it seemed like … the sky was crying…

Today would be a good day for me …. If only she didn't appear….

That girl under umbrella … just like yesterday, she was coming from my opposite direction … on that street. Under her mixed blonde and white soaked hair, she noticed me. It didn't piss me off, I just didn't like it. She was interrupting my day. Despite being under that umbrella, she was soaked. Strangely, she was also wounded… Either way, she was a hindrance in my day.

I walk past her. I took a glimpse on her and she smiled. How annoying…

…

…

…

Today was the 3rd rainy day … usually I would be happy with this … but I am not. While walking on the street, some people noticed me. A guy without umbrella walking under heavy rain was not something you saw every day. Usually they don't care about me. Seeing the pity on their faces makes me want to barf, don't they know? I could snatch away their treasured possessions if I wanted. Today was supposed to be a special day for me, yet thanks to them, my mood for today was ruined.

This town was known as "Iron Steel Law", no matter what kind of crimes happened inside the town, the citizen, the nobles, or even the Kingdom won't let it go. Status won't matter, even if it was the king himself or the authority who committed the crime, the citizen will punish them. This was a dangerous nest for an assassin to step their foot in. I know this, yet I stayed. For me, the more difficult the task was, the more I felt challenged by it.

Living inside this town trained my sensitivity and concentration. Once you committed your first crime here, you need to be extra careful for your next activity. Be careful so no one could see your true face, or else you will be hunted. Being raised as a killing machine, the emotion inside me already died long time ago. It was done in order for me to not let my guard down. Every second could become my death time. It felt like an invisible scythe was slowly nearing my neck; I don't know when it will swing and cut my neck. Perhaps the words "Damocles Sword" fitted me best.

Though whenever I wanted to live alone, there was always a little devil that disturbed me. Just like today when I stayed inside my base like this-

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Speak of devil…" I whispered

I knew very well who it was. There was only one person who would knock three times rapidly like that. I moved from my spot and opened the door.

"Good evening!" was the first thing that this red haired guy said to me.

This little devil…

His name was Akaito Shion aka the 2nd generation Shion. The Shion family was known as honored noble in this town. They are the type of people who stuck their nose into other people's business. Some nobles hated them, but on the other side, the lower class citizen respected them. This old geezer was my drink mate, also one of the two people who knew my true identity, the other being his wife. Both of them were people whose age could not be determined just by looking at their face. All people in town including me knew very well that they looked more like 18 years old teenager rather than adults in their 30th, Akaito Shion and Yowane Haku. There wasn't a single person in town who didn't know them.

I already forgot how I became his drink mate in the first place. We just met on the same bar by coincidence after that … things happened and when I came to my senses, we already shared a bond called "Friendship". At least that was what he thought. I never did see him that way, he was just annoying old geezer for me. For things to turn out like this, I could only blame myself for it. I sighed when I looked at him running around like that, since when I dedicated myself as a friend?

"Hey! Why so sulky! Got some trouble in your life?" Akaito asked. We were having a drink in the bar like we usually would. Lately he's been busy, so this was our first drink together in a month.

"You already give me enough trouble." I muttered.

"Oh really? Hahaha I am honored, well it's more this way after all, it's not like you to give praise"

"Should I take that as a complaint?"

"Man, you never change"

I poured him another glass of beer.

"Whoa, thanks pal!"

I shook my head. "Don't mention it."

Akaito gave a whistle. "Hey, you beautiful lady over there! Mind to accompany us?"

"Cut it out"

I could see the brunette waitress blush bright red when he shouted at her. She quickly disappeared from our sight.

"Geez, Shi-kun you are still a kid …This is also one of the entertainments of the adult world." He said while pouring another beer in my glass.

I drank all the liquid down in one gulp. "Too bad I would never understand that kind of entertainment."

"No wonder you never get popular with girls. You won't get any girl with that attitude of yours, you know, Man need to be more W-i-l-d"

"Mind your own business"

He pouted "Aww, you're no fun …Oh! Don't tell me you got your eyes on someone already!"

I scoffed. "No way!"

"Alright, alright no need to be so mad! Hahaha I am just joking"

I don't know why I suddenly felt irritated when he asked me that. When I heard his questions, the image of the girl smiling under the rain came to my mind. When I think about it, I couldn't help but feel anger at the thought. She was the one who ruined my day.

"How's Haku nee?" I asked

The red guy smiled. "She's still beautiful, as always."

"Liar"

"I am not"

"Then why you keep flirting around when you already have a wife?"

"Hahaha, it's still too hard for you to understand. You might be able to comprehend it when you are entering your 30th"

"You're only searching for excuses"

"I am not." He paused to take a swig from his cup. "You know what? Through one man's eyes, there is only one very beautiful woman. No matter how many times you looked at another, in the end, your sight will always come back to her."

"Sounds too complicated."

"Why not give it a try? You are at the age where your wildness goes crazy. In this Town there are many women. So why not search for it?

"I'll pass… I don't have any interest in playing a child's game." I take my leave from my seat, not wanting to continue the conversation with him any further.

Before I leave, I could hear him chuckle. "Really… May I remind that you're still a kid?"

…

…

…

Rain…

Blood…

Knife…

I belonged on the battlefield, not on a small children community called "Family"

Just like today, once I was called for a mission, all that was left around me were heaps of flesh. Me standing in the middle of it all… As a killing puppet that could crush anything he wanted. Only in battlefield … he could stay alive longer. If I lived inside that small community, I might die…

"Damn …" I cursed under my breath

I let my guard down, swaying back and forth on the forest with crimson liquid flowing out from my body. It was careless of me to let my enemy notice me. It's the biggest mistake you can make on the battlefield. For things to turn out like this, I could only blame myself for being inexperienced. The city was on high alert right now. Sooner or later, they would search the forest. I need to get away fast… Tch, what a joke… I won't fail today…

Once my legs refused to walk any further, I collapsed. It was a rainy day again, a bitter one. It was supposed to be my happy time, but thanks to my current condition, I can't enjoy it. Will I end like this? Doesn't sound too bad … To be killed on my lovely day.

While waiting for my time, I kept reviewing my memories. Each time the images flash through my head, only the bad parts of my memories surfaced. Now that I think about it, I don't have any good memories… Nothing but pieces of trash inside my brain, knowing this, I still review them.

Who is he?

Good for nothing kid….

Don't come back here!

You killer!

Everyone wants you die….

No one will love you …

You are failure as a human…

Why did you even born in the first place?

I felt two pokes.

Huh?

Another two pokes.

"Mister, are you alright?"

Hehe, hell no… Do I look like ok?

**Editor: Riku Arisato**


	9. Mourning Butterfly

_Butterfly Storyline_

"_**Nafuyu …"**_

"_**Nafuyu…"**_

"_**Father! I am here!"**_

"_**Hmm? Practicing that piece again?"**_

"_**Yes! I want to master it sooner!"**_

"_**Ha ha ha. You really like this piece aren't you?"**_

"_**Yup! It was the only piece which touched my heart!"**_

"_**Touch your heart, huh … my girl … inside this song there is something "special" needed in order to complete the piece"**_

"_**Something special? What is that, Father?"**_

"_**Hmm… well it's difficult to obtain but it's easy to lose…"**_

"_**Nafuyu don't understand…"**_

"_**You will understand once you are older …."**_

…

…

…

_Reaching the end of my dream, I was woken up by the sounds of rain outside. I realized … it was just moment of remembrance … human won't be able to live in past, they live in … the present. It was not long before I heard the sound of bell from town. I flopped down from my bed to prepare myself. After changing my clothes, I picked up my violin and put it inside its bag, along with my umbrella. Once everything was perfect, I stepped out of my house, towards the Town at this night. _

_Not far from my destination, I could already see the view I usually saw when I went to work. People dressed in black were mourning for the one sleeping inside the coffin. In the midst of this rain, as if the sky was crying for the deceased one, they bow their head, looking at it. Countless tears dripped onto the surface of the coffin. One flower placed in the middle of it; a flower meant for those who returned to Father's side. _

_People noticed me as I arrived. They opened a way for me. With calm movement, I walked towards the tomb, facing the buried coffin. Some of them join their hands together and prayed, some kept their head low. Whoever it was, this person must have been really loved by everyone. I was sure… this person also felt grateful._

_I put down my umbrella beside me, letting the droplets of water land on my body. I put my hand together on my chest and pray… _

_Thou whom returned to Father's side, Thou no longer need to felt pain and sufferings anymore, Thou shalt live forever within His Kingdom, forever loved, forever blessed, Watching over beloved people whom gave you happiness and love. Allow me to play a piece to accompany thou on the journey to Father's side. May God Bless You._

_I picked up my violin, the bow in my right hand and the body in my left hand. String to string, I let them touch each other. As I slowly moved the bow back and forth, the melody came to play; it was not long till the emotion, tune and pace joined us, forming a small community called "Harmony". I gave balance to the three of them, while they gave me the fruit of their teamwork. Just like that, we benefited each other. No one kept everything for themselves. All was shared equally. Inside this harmony, we create a "piece" or "song" to touch people's heart. So they would smile, so they would be happy, so they would live better in the future. You could say we were doing our best to cheer them in this funeral, and at the same time giving the deceased one a peace in their rest. That was my wish for playing this piece. I only hope … that our small family could touch their heart._

_The road back to my house was a bit tough. Not only because my soaked clothes made it hard to walk, but also because the rain was getting heavier. The umbrella I held was struggling beneath the heavy rain, protecting me from droplets of water._

_I saw a unique scene when I decided to wait on the side road of the street till the rain calmed down a bit. It was a boy … a foreign face that I never seen before, walking under the rain without bringing any umbrella with him. The calm yet cold eyes under his wet black hair didn't waver under the coldness of air, looking straight at everything in front of him. I was a bit frightened when he walk passed me because he was glaring at me in the split second when our eyes met. It felt like … he was telling me not to pity him…_

…

…

…

"_**Nafuyu … there was nothing resonating from your heart when you played this piece…"**_

"_**I…. I am sorry..."**_

"_**You should understand … the right emotion is needed in order to play it … listening to your parents play, you should know what is missing inside you, right?"**_

…

…

…

_My eye shot open … it was another dream like yesterday, the dream of my past. Recently I kept having the same dream over and over; was this some kind of sign from Father? Looking back right now won't change anything. Everything was decided in this moment, in this present in order to shape the future. But … does the past really have no effect to me? If it never happened … would I have become the girl who was standing here right now?_

_It makes me remember the boy under the rain I met yesterday. The sharpness of his eyes … it was as if those eyes were meant only to look forward. Every encounter in life always has a meaning, whether it is bad or good. So … my encounter with him must be some kind of sign too. From this point on …I am in the hands of fate …_

_It was another rainy day, but not as heavy as yesterday. But still, sometimes the wet gets on to your nerve. Simply walking could make your shoes dirty. I sighed at how black my shoes were … even though this was my favorite. _

_In this town there was a slump where beggars lived. It was an area where people in town hate to go, especially noble. Those beggars were once nobles who were driven into a corner by other nobles. Both formerly good nobles and bad nobles were both thrown in here. They lost everything: fame, wealth, even family. Life inside this empty world was no different from hell; banished by the higher class, hated by the lower class. _

_Well whenever I came here, they always gave a warm welcome, with rocks hitting on my entire body. But I was already used to it. One rock hit me directly and I fell to ground, dropping my umbrella and leaving my body vulnerable to rain. I tried to say several times that I wanted to get along with them, but they didn't give me a chance. Saying they would rather die than accept sympathy from the likes me. The reason they hate me so much was because they had a past life as a noble. Most people here still think they don't want to be pitied by human lower than themselves. Some scream at me, some kept throwing rocks. _

_At the same time there were also some who can't bear to see my face. I understand that they want to help, but … they fear being banished from this place. Once people in this slum are banished from this place, they have nowhere to go. One little kid … was sitting in the corner. I noticed him because his unique green hair attracted me. He seemed like he wanted to cry, seeing me being hit like this. I could saw bruises all over the small life form's face and body, trembling under cold rain. _

_At that moment, I could only think … what made him want to cry seeing me like this. If only … I could reach my hand and warm him up. I could do it, but they pushed me backwards whenever I tried to move forward. The rock kept hitting me so hard, I had no choice but to retreat now. It was another failure today, even though I wanted to get along with them._

_Rain poured down on my depressing day. I could not save people who suffer in front of me. It made me really depressed. I tried to smile again, and it went well. I was relieved in a moment; Father still allowed me to smile. Then it meant I could still go on. My humiliation disappeared within seconds. I kept my smile under the umbrella on the way back. One day, they will also smile for me._

_I crossed the path once again with yesterday's boy. His expression still had not changed much, with eyes which kept telling me to disappear from his sight. I smiled at him, and replied with an unintelligible grumble from him. He quickly walked passed me with an annoyed face. Sometimes I wonder what he would look like if he smiled. It made me curious…_

…

…

…

"_**Have you decided?"**_

"_**Yes, Father. I chose to bring happiness to people with my song…"**_

"_**Then you are banished from this place"**_

"… _**I understand… thank you for everything…"**_

"_**Don't ever let me see your face again"**_

_**With those words, he left me alone there, closing the door without ever looking back. My mind could not comprehend his behavior. I shook my head in disappointment. The one whom I had admired was dead, dead and long gone since the day he shut his heart away.**_

"_**Father … music is not money … why did you become like this? I truly … don't … understand…"**_

…

…

…

_My eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. It was another dream of my pas. A bitter one this time …something that I didn't wish to remember, the only accident in my life that brought me to disappointment. If only it hadn't happen, maybe it would be different. Why did it happen? What was the reason? I knew that everything in this world has meaning. But sometimes there is still something which we could not understand just by looking. It was always the things that related to your despair. One tear streamed down from my eyes. I was shocked when it suddenly happened._

"_Ahaha, how strange … why did … I … cry?" I tried to form a smile even though the tears were still coming. If only I could wish for myself to stop crying. I don't like it when I cried without reason like this._

"_M-My face would look strange if I kept crying, I am gonna go take a bath" My smile was wavering, my words trembling. I shouted inside me to stop crying, but it wouldn't stop. That was when I decided to rush into bathroom._

…

…

_Having tea outside while watching the rain doesn't sound bad for me, but I also need to bring out my teapot. The cold air changed the temperature of the tea instantly. If I don't pour any additional tea, the tea on the cup might get cold. I guess this was one of the benefits when you had home built in a forest. Kinda lonely for me to live here, but I couldn't stand the noisy sounds of the town. I took another sip of my tea, mmm … delicious… it had been a while since the last time I tasted any tea. Lately I had been busy with works, and I couldn't even have a proper break._

_So peaceful … listening to whisper of rain while sipping tea. I closed my eyes, relaxing myself. I wonder … even though the rain was so noisy … why did it still sound silent for me? Ah well… whether it be silent or noisy, as long it was relaxing, it still sounds great to me._

"_Nafuyu!"_

_I chuckled while still closing my eyes. I knew whose voice it belonged to. I opened my eyes slowly and smiled at the two people under umbrella which coming this way. _

"_Luka! Haku ne-!" I waved my hand at two girls under umbrella coming this way, but halted when I saw a blonde kid holding Luka's hand._

_I awkwardly stare at the 5-or-6-years old blonde little boy who was holding Luka's hand. Both of them realized where was I staring at and awkwardly laughed._

"_Umm, if you don't mind … could you allow this child join the tea party?" Luka asked while putting her hand together, begging me._

…

…

"_Where's the other, Haku nee?" I asked towards white haired woman who just put down her cup._

"_My husband is having a drink with someone else, Kiyo is busy doing his job and as for the other two … well you know, as the Kingdom's King and Queen, they need to be careful not to ruin their fame" Haku nee sighed, placing her palm under her chin._

"_But in the end, even it means sneaking pass a battalion of soldier, they would still do it. Both of them are quite stubborn" Luka said._

"_True," I said. The three of us laughed. It had been a while since we gathered like this, though it was a bit sad that some could not come._

"_So you adopted a child, Luka. That sure surprised me," I laughed awkwardly at Luka_

"_Can't be helped, but no matter what I said, she still wanted to do it," Haku nee sighed, I bet she also having hard time dealing with this._

"_Luka, you are still 18. Fresh and young, there are many more things to do than this, you know," she continued while pointing her finger at Luka like a mother disciplining her child._

_I could saw the blonde kid's expression turned a bit sad after hearing this. I put my finger on my lips while smiling, signaling both of them not to talk over the line. Haku nee notice,d and she was embarrassed when she noticed how unfitting her words were. For Haku nee to say something like that was not something to be blamed either, among us, she was like a big sister, not only because she was on her thirty and married, but it was also because she always held a big responsible toward us. Each of us respected her very much. So sometimes if she said something harsh, it was not something strange._

"_What is his name?" I asked_

"_Len." instead of Luka or Haku nee, the kid answered reflexively. Three of us were stunned for a while and stared at him when he opened his mouth. Impulsively, his face turned red. I guess this kid rarely associated with girls. _

"_Len-kun, right? Nice to meet you." I smiled and patted his head. I am glad that he could smile when I pat him. It didn't sound bad for us to take care of him. After all, we were neither poor nor rich. _

"_Haku nee, would you mind accompanying Len inside for a while? I still have some questions to ask Luka," I said._

_Haku nee showed her "it can't be helped" expression towards both of us. She knew, usually when I said something like that, it meant that we were going to talk about something which only we know about. That's why. We can't afford to let a kid listen to our talk any further._

"_Alright, don't take too long you two," finished her words. She took Len inside my house. I took another sip of my tea and nearly spit it out when I found out that I forgotten to add more warm tea from the teapot. _

"_You are careless as usual, huh?" The pink-haired woman giggled at the way I acted._

"_Ahaha, yeah… want some tea?" I asked, while holding the teapot ready to pour another tea._

"_Sure."_

_I poured some tea on her cup. I watched as she slowly raised the cup to her lips and drank it. She sighed when she put it down. It had been a while since I saw her sighing like that; the Luka I knew rarely show that kind of attitude. She always showed her elegant side on the surface-it was really not like her to sigh. If she sighed, then it could mean she was really troubled over something that could not be solved for a long time._

"_What's the reason?" I suddenly asked her out of nowhere._

_It took a while before she directly answered my question. Placing her hand under her chin, she shifted her sight towards the noisy rain pouring outside. _

"_Nafuyu, are you seeing someone?" _

_Her questions startled me. "N-no… why suddenly ask?"_

"_Nothing, sometimes I just feel like asking it."_

_I was silenced for a while before I said anything further. "I could start to see your answer to my question." _

_She shifted her sight back at me with smile. Our bonds were so deep that we could be treated as family. So we knew very well each other's behavior. For me, Haku nee, Luka, Akaito-nii, Nero-nii, Kiyo-nii and Mako-nee, our little community meant so much for each of us._

"_I missed those days you know. Perhaps this is my punishment for not cherishing those moments. In the blink of eye, everyone's already grown up and has become an adult, leaving me behind," Luka said, but this time with much more relaxed expression_

"_We still do some grouping together, it was just … our social status changed."_

"_Actually, I don't have a problem with having a hard time meeting once in a while. I just … don't like being left alone while the others have reached their goal already. Unlike you guys, I don't have any particular goal in my life, so I thought … if I had a child, maybe I could catch up." Luka took another sip of the tea. Her eyes color seemed a bit dull. _

"_This might be an effect of being the youngest in the group," I said_

"_Perhaps … but Nafuyu … you're in the same age as me, yet you have goal in life. I feel I'm like being left out" she complained while stirring the spoon on her tea. _

"_Don't say that, you still have chance to find a guy you like"_

"_Hahaha, of course I know that. You are silly, I didn't mean it that way" she laughed. _

_I felt relieved when she could laugh like that. It meant things still not progressing to the point with no return. The way I think might be strange, but I do believe when in the end of the struggle humans could still smile, it would always be a good sign._

"_We are still young, Luka. It's not too late to find our loved one," I said once again before I took another sip of my tea._

"_Makes sense, but Nafuyu … a woman who cannot give birth is doomed in love, you know." Luka's tone changed the moment she spoke. It felt a bit sadder._

"_Don't you see Haku nee? She got her loved one."_

"_That's different. In our group only two of us are still unmarried. Haku-nee and Akaito-nii were already in love with each other from the start, and that's why she could avoid the doom." _

"_But, you could al-"_

"_Time has change, Nafuyu. Men are not interested in woman who could not give birth. That's why I decided to adopt a child. I want to end my opportunity to find love" _

_I could not say anything about it because the expression on Luka's face was either sad or despaired. Luka was blaming herself for what happened in past. Before I met them, she and Haku-nee were prostitutes. They were sold by their family when they were still children and were trained to be prostitutes. We could barely save both of them, but when they were saved, both realized that … they couldn't give birth anymore. For me who didn't suffer the same fate as them, I didn't have the right to said anything further. I was glad at first that Haku-nee could get married, but as for Luka… reality might've been too harsh for her to face. If only… I could help her…_

…

…

…

_It has been raining a lot lately. I wondered what was wrong with the weather. Today I heard that there has been an intense security on the town. Policemen were scattered around the town to search for a criminal who caused a massacre by killing one of the famous noble family. _

_Thinking about killing, I was the type of person who got lot of questions in my life, worthless and unimportant questions always spinning inside my mind. What's the reason for a killer to kill someone? Revenge? Fame? Wealth? For someone like me, it was hard to understand. There are many reasons for people to live, but there are also many reasons for people to die. The case inside the town had already been too much, the reason I chose to live inside the forest was also because of it. _

_In the middle of my walk in the forest, I stopped and took out the blue jewel from my pocket. Each one of us has this jewel as some kind of symbol. Mine was blue, Haku-nee was white, Luka was purple, Akaito-nii was red, Kiyo-nii was black, Nero-nii was yellow and Mako-nee was gray. Akaito-nii was the one who said that, when we could no longer see each other or were in misery, we could just look at this jewel. It would remind us that we are not alone, and no matter how apart we were, we lived eternally inside each other's heart. Seeing myself reflected in the surface of the jewel made me kept thinking of lots of things. Happy and sad memories were reflected in it, the jewel that connected each of us. My irreplaceable, priceless treasure … _

_I unconsciously sang… the song that we always loved…_

_**Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume**_

_**Ooki na kibou wasurenai**_

_**Juunen-go no hachigatsu mata deaeru no wo shinjite**_

_**Saikou no omoide wo...**_

_White lighting flashed, startling me from the mist of my thoughts. At that moment when the flash lighted some path, I could saw something else on the road. A person? I approached it carefully, it seemed not budging. As the distance between us grew smaller, lighting flashed, giving a clear view to me … and I was surprised. It was … that guy … _

**Disclaimer : I do not own the song**

**Song : ~Secret Base~ Kimi Ga Kureta Mono (10 years after version)**

**Piece : Xion Theme by Yoko Shimomura**

**Editor : UlquiorraNoKokoro**


	10. Assassin and Musician, Red and White

_Fireflies Storyline_

_Whether it was passing difficult time or … when I live inside my solitude for a long time. There was always one piece accompanying me, ringing inside my head… the very first piece I ever heard, and the only piece which could move my stubborn heart. But it was not long until I was no longer able to hear that piece anymore. Ever since then, whether when I was alone or doing my job, the piece unconsciously playing in my head, like background music for my life. Sometimes I wanna complaint to the one who played this piece inside my head. An encouraging piece like this was far too good for my life. Mind to changing to another piece?_

…

…

…

_I was awakened that morning by bird's chirping and a ray of shine on my eyes. But other than that, I noticed … the piece which had always accompanied me was somehow ringing outside of my head. It was not inside my mind, but rather I could hear it directly, played with violin voice…how nostalgic. It'd been a very long since the last time I heard it. The moment I tried to get up, pain stabbed my body. I was sleeping on the bed, someone else's room to be more correct. I realized that my body was wrapped in bandages. It made me wonder who would pick up a wounded stranger like me off the street._

_After I picked up my black cloth that had been left beside me, I tried to move towards the source of nostalgic voice that brought back my memories. The bright shine hurt my eyes as soon as I opened the door to the outside of the house, blinding me completely with white light. Once my vision become clear, I could see the source of the voice that had been disturbing me from the very start._

_Her back which was facing me looked so relax. Like there were no weights in her life that slowed her down. From the way she grazed the bow against the violin, her elegant presence was spreading in harmony. I was not mistaken, this piece was definitely the music I'd heard long time ago, the high pitched tone, the rapid pace, the glorious emotion of the song. But the longer I listened to it, the more I was sure there was something missing from the song, though I couldn't figure out what it was: one main factor keeping this song from perfection._

_Suddenly, in the middle of the performance, the girl stopped. It caught my attention immediately, and in the corner of my eyes, I could see the hand holding the bow tremble. She had heard the sounds I had created when my feet stepped onto grass. When she turned around, I recognized her face immediately … she was that girl …_

"_Sorry, did I wake you up?" she smiled at me as the winds blew around her, carrying flower petals up into the sky. _

_It was not long until I joined in on her tea party, sitting outside with her and drinking tea. _

"_More tea?" she asked, innocently smiling along with the conversation. I nodded in response and she poured another warm brown colored liquid to my cup. Before I had sat down, there were so many questions I wanted to ask her. It was amazing how a cup of tea could make you forget what you were thinking previously. To be more exact, one drink of it somehow put away the weight on my back. _

_The girl stared at me from the moment I lifted the cup to my lip until I put it down. When I put it down, she asked me, "Is it good?"_

"_Not really, bitter taste does not fit my tongue."_

"_Want some sugar?"_

"_No, I am okay with it as it is. Too many sweet will be bad for my health," I replied, trying to send a message to her that said, Show your true colors._

"_True, but too bitter is not good either."_

_The atmosphere lingering around us was silent, but neither of us felt uncomfortable with the silence. I could tell from the way she poured the tea. Her current condition was not much different from her previous one. Rather … I thought staying silent like this didn't sound too bad. It looked relaxing for me; maybe changing my mood once in a while could provide extra stamina for my next job. Usually because I didn't know exactly what to do during my free time, I could only keep loitering around town._

"_Do you mind telling me why you were willing to help a stranger you'd never met?" I said, breaking the silence and getting straight to the point._

_She snapped out of her daydream and replied to my question immediately, "Is there any reason needed?"_

"_I think there is."_

"_Umm, I'm sorry, but sadly, I don't know the reason." she smiled apologetically, taking another sip of her tea. _

_The way she answered me was bold and naïve. She said it without thinking about any sort of consequence. Only saying what came into her mind. I relaxed myself a bit. It was not like I hated this kind of people, but sometimes it just gets on your nerve knowing someone like her existed. _

"_The name is Shiki," I said._

"_Nice to meet you, mine's Nafuyu, Kanashina Nafuyu," she introduced herself, followed with question, "Why were you lying there?"_

"_I apologize, but it's not something I should say."_

"_Why?"_

"_It's my secret."_

_Nafuyu smiled, I think she understand what I meant. _

"_Pachelbel Canon, was it?" I asked_

"_Huh?"_

"_The piece you were playing earlier."_

_Although barely, I could see that she seemed a bit happy when I asked about it._

"_Yes it is, Shiki-san, do you play any instrument?"_

"_In the past, yes, but not anymore."_

"_What instrument did you play?"_

"_Violin, although not much."_

"_Really? That sounds great" she exclaimed with calm yet happy tone, "Could I listen to you play?"_

"_I don't mind, but not when I'm in this condition," I replied, referring to my injured state._

"_Then once your wounds have healed, is it alright if I listen to you play?"_

_She was truly bold. "I don't see any problem with it, "I said_

"_Great! I am looking forward to it!" she clapped her hands once and said it with wide smile. _

"_Ah!" she shouted suddenly while as I was taking another sip. "I need to get going now. Shiki-san, please make yourself at home."_

_The girl grabbed her violin bag, bowed to me, and walked to town. I watched her walk away._

_Before she had gone any further, she turned back and told me, "Please don't ever open the black door inside the house, okay? It would be embarrassing if someone saw my belongings from when I was a child."_

_The road to town seemed long, even though in reality it was short. I wondered why it looked like that. She turned around for a bit and smiled at me. Perhaps my intuition from the start was already right: she was annoying._

_From the way sun was positioned, I could tell it was noon already. Usually during this time there were some jobs available, so I took out a small flute from my pocket and blew it. The sounds from the flute echoed through the forest. Not long after I sounded the flute, a pigeon descended from the sky, flapping its wing several times before landing on my outstretched palm. I took the piece of paper tied to its leg and read it. Another job for me…_

_Crimson Storyline_

_Human began their day by waking up from sleep. Open your eyes, get up, take a bath and have breakfast. It was a common routine for most of people. Even so, when we drew a line between these daily bases, some difference could be spotted. For me, who's already married, the first blissful moment I encountered when I woke up was my beloved wife's sleeping face._

_I have seen it countless times, but could never have felt bored with it. She was beautiful as always, just the same as when the first time I met her, with hair as white as snow, skin like silk and a childlike face. My sight never turned from her, not even once. I planted a kiss on her forehead, showing how much I loved her. Surprisingly, she flipped open her eyes, smiling at me. _

"_Good morning, redhead," she said with smile_

_Without replying, I quickly snatched a kiss from her, a slow and gentle kiss. I kept our lips as close as possible, leaving no gap and staying as long as possible. Her lips just attracted more thirst from me, so soft … and so warm. Not satisfied with mouth only, my tongue joined in, devouring everything beyond her mouth. Each lick on her tongue and each moan from her throat was bliss for me. I was just glad that I could stay by her side. It was not long until our lips parted, gasping for air._

"_What was that for?" she asked while gasping. I could saw the exact same color like my hair on her face, cute._

"_It's your fault for showing such a cute face so early in the morning"_

"_Meanie…"_

…

…

_Not long after, I was sitting in the dining room, resting my head on my palm. The sound of a knife chopping cabbage was one of the sounds I could heard coming from the kitchen. Once in a while, the white lady in the kitchen would turn her head and smile at me, at that time I would smile in return. Patiently waiting like this was not really like me, but for her, I could make an exception. _

"_Don't forget tonight is the Princess's birthday," she said while chopping the meat_

"_Yeah, I have been looking forward to it, wonder how big she has become" I usually got excited whenever someone spoke about the Kingdom's Princess. The King and The Queen were my acquaintances, or … to be exact we were almost family. Despite difference in status, both Haku and I were very close to them. That's why the Princess was like my niece. It always made you happy to see your family. Other than them, there were also other people we treated as family. But because of our social status, we became very busy, thus making it harder to meet them. A bit sad, but that's how life goes. Everything can't happen exactly the way you want it to._

"_My, my, you really love your niece, huh?"_

"_I love all my family."_

"_Which one do you love more, me or your niece?"_

"_Hey, what's that for? It's not fair."_

"_Hahaha, just kidding."_

_I sighed, Haku always knew how to corner someone, but despite knowing it, she didn't use it much. Although …Although… I knew there had to be a meaning behind her question._

"_Haku."_

"_What is it?"_

"_Do you … want a child?" my voice was hesitant and for some reason I tried to keep it as low as possible_

"_Huh? What did you say?"_

"…_. No … never mind …"_

…

…

_It was nighttime … the appointed time had arrived. The town was as silent as a grave, I, who sat inside the carriage along with my wife, could only heard the sounds of the carriage's wheels rolling on tile. It was a cold night, almost no warmth at all. My eyes could only focus on the view outside. I lived as a noble who treat everything equally, and that's how I had lived until now. What other people thought of me was none of my concern._

"_You alright?" Haku tapped my shoulder lightly, knocking me out of the daydreaming world._

_I nodded slightly, at least gave her some response._

"_It's not like you to looked so worried."_

_I sighed, looking outside the window. "… I just can't sit and watch"_

_She didn't say anything further. Perhaps she felt the same as me. Realized how weak we were. Becoming a noble had been my dream, and ever since I met her it had evolved not only as a dream, but something I must become. _

_The carriage stopped in front of the castle. The driver opened the door for me and bowed down as I walked out of it. Once my feet touched the ground, I offered my hand to her, gently holding her hand and guiding her until she was off from the carriage. She smiled as I did so. The warmth on her hand would have crept onto mine if only the glove wasn't in my way._

_We walked in the hall for a moment before we reached the ballroom. Although the hall doesn't have many people walking back and forth, once we enter the ballroom, everything looked crowded. All the nobles in the town filled the huge room, their chattering voices bouncing against the walls of the room._

"_It's nice to enjoy yourself for a while. Just for today, let's forget about the matter," Haku told me, putting her hand on my shoulder._

_Since our opinion was the same, I couldn't help but agree with her. She told me she was going to go greet the King and Queen first, while I told her I was going to look around a bit more. I rarely came to this kind of place, so I wanted enjoy it first before I greet my old friends. My eyes scanned the room, looking at people talking and eating. Their face looked so satisfied. Not the kind of happiness I had been expecting, but rather the kind of happiness that came about because of dirty business they'd been doing. No matter where you go, there are always people like that. As my gaze traveled towards the east balcony, my eyes opened twice their usual size, caused by the sudden surprise that entered my field of vision._

**Disclaimer : I do not own the piece mentioned here**

**Piece : Pachelbel's Canon**

**Editor : UlquiorraNoKokoro**


	11. Memories of The Banquet

_Crimson Storyline_

"_Drinking alone, sir?" I asked the man at the balcony as if I don't know him._

_"The wine would taste bad if it were to be polluted with breath," the man replied calmly with cold words and stern eyes._

_"What are you doing here?" I asked with an angrier tone, making clear my point. _

"_Don't talk so loud, you will ruin everything." Using a mocking tone, he said it while playing with the glass of wine on his hand._

_"Ruin your plan? Then I will gladly do so." I smirked, clenching my fist, ready to give him a punch._

"_Are you sure? I don't think it's a good idea to cause mayhem when your family members are here."_

_I was caught by his words, for what he said was true. It won't be good to disturb the happiness inside the castle right now. Worst-case scenario, it might become a bloody scene. Although I treated him as my family, this brunette who went by name Shiki was a heartless killer. Countless times I had tried to stop him, but never even once had I succeeded. My words never reached him, and no matter how many times I tried, he never left that wicked path. Not feeling like talking with me any further, the brunette walked past me and stepped inside the chatter-filled room._

"_I won't forgive you if you hurt my family," I said, just as the moment he walked passed me. The man didn't stop walking, and when I turned my head, he already blended inside the crowd, out of the reach of my gaze. _

_White Storyline_

_"Long time no see, your majesty." I lifted up the side of my long skirt a bit and bowed down towards the King and Queen, as well as to their daughter, who stood beside them._

_It does not took long before Nero scold me, "Off with the formal act already, we are not strangers."_

"_Shh Nero! There are many people right now!" Mako whispered but loud enough for us to hear it. _

_I was glad to see that both of them were still the same like as usual. Nero still liked to scold people, regardless of their age and Mako always tried hard to clean up the mess he created. I giggled when I looked at them._ _Although they were the country's Queen and King, they still didn't drop the childish act. While both of them were still arguing, the little princess tugged at my skirt. She let out a childish, giggling voice as I patted her head._

_"How old is she?" I asked both of the childish adults._

_"Ten years old this year," Nero answered with a bit of an annoyed face, although I could see a faint red color on his cheeks, which caused question marks to appear on my head. _

_From the way the Queen smiled, which made it seem like she was teasing him, I thought she knew what was going on with him._

"_Wh-what!" he asked, slightly annoyed at me when I stared at him._

_A bell sounded in my head, signaling that I'd finally caught the meaning behind his weird behavior. _

_"Cute, isn't it?" Mako asked me out of nowhere when she noticed I had caught the meaning._

_"Yes, it is," I answered, covering my lip with my hand and giggling. "I know you are childish, but I never knew you also like children. Guess there are still many things I don't know about you."_

"_Sh-shut up!" he replied a bit loud, catching a bit attention from some people, which caused him to blush even more._

_Both Mako and I were struggling to hold out our laugh from bursting out. Seeing both of us like that, he could not do anything but divert his reddened face from us. Little Iroha tilted her head in confusion, unable to grasp the situation. Really, this was one cute family here._

_Then suddenly I noticed someone among the crowd, a familiar face. With his pitch black hair, expressionless eyes and silent movements, there was only one person in my mind who fulfilled that criteria: none other than Shiki. _

_I was supposed to get panic, but as I kept looking at him, the young man actually was not the one who attracted my attention. Somehow I was more interested with the one who was walking behind him. It looked strange, but at least I knew nothing was gonna happen as long they kept walking behind him. I smiled instead, since they looked so cute when they were following him like that. _

_Fireflies Storyline_

_One fatal thing which an assassin must avoid at any cost was not to attract attention. Or, in other words, just don't let people realize your presence. That was the basic and one of the more important lessons for an assassin. I was able to blend perfectly within this crowd of nobles without anyone noticing my presence earlier, although I drew an old red-haired geezer's attention. My plan was becoming slightly different because of that small encounter, but I will surely finish my job today._

_As I kept blending with my surroundings, at the same time I was also observing the kind of life that a noble experienced. It never changed from the first time I saw them. When you looked closely, it was actually pretty much the same, like ordinary citizen life. You smile, you greet and you talk. The same cycle common people had._

_But there was a bit difference with lower classed people. They all dressed in luxury and artistic clothing, unlike normal people, who dressed in plain clothing. Their clothing was made from expensive silk. They talked with a slightly higher tone, like an empress or emperor. Also, the topic of conversation they chose was extraordinary, not like a "Yesterday was a big harvest" or "Your farm field looked well, Mister" kind of topic. Mostly they talked about how to produce money faster than any other people. _

_Suddenly, I noticed something fishy in the air. Some people were becoming aware of my presence, even though I hadn't tried anything that drew people's attention. The stares increased as I kept walking around. I found it strange. Did they found out that I was not a noble? The end of my misery was answered the moment I turned my head around._

_A pair of children, a little boy and a little girl, was standing behind me, looking at me, scared. The boy bears ocean-colored irises with blue hair, while the girl has teal hair which tied into a pig tail. I tried to walk away and I could hear them following me again, but when I looked back, they kept their distance from me. The logic inside the mind of these little runts is complicated for us teenage or adults to comprehend. They did opposite things depending on how I reacted. From afar I noticed Haku-nee's smirk teasing me. _

_I tried to glare, but I remember I was not good at glaring. My stone face became a hindrance to show my emotion. If I tried to glare, I would end up smiling, which was something I definitely didn't like. Although I was good at fake-smiling, I just didn't like the smile that generally resulted from my glaring. I didn't mind as long those two didn't get in my way, but why would they be following me?_

_It was not long until the dance part started; some guests started to waltz in the middle of the room. They danced beautifully with their partners, synchronizing their movements with the classic music playing. In an instance, I could no longer walk in the middle area since it was full of couples dancing. So I retreated to an area near the entrance where other nobles enjoyed watching the waltz._

_Both kids were still following me as I walked towards there. I thought they were the only nuisance that were getting in my way, but I realized there was another obstacle when I heard a familiar voice calling me from behind._

_"Having a problem, Shiki?" I heard a sound ask me politely in teasing way._

_Although I didn't see his face, I knew that voice belonged to a black haired puppeteer whom I also didn't like. "Nothing is getting in my way, so I don't have any problems at the moment, Kiyoteru."_

_"It looks like you are having trouble, though. Won't it get in the way of your work?" said the black haired guy in a calm yet insulting tone._

_With cold eyes, I turned my head a bit and sent him a sharp stare, "What do you want? I have no time for chit chat."_

_"Is there any reason for me to see my family?" he replied flatly._

_"If I remember correctly, I never thought of our relation in that kind of way. It's only you guys who think like that," I replied, with a harsh and colder tone than Kiyoteru._

_He sighed when I replied like that. "At least you won't cause trouble now, with these two following you." _

_How naïve he was, I thought in my mind. "Did you really think that you guys or both of these kids could get in my way? If it would, I would have disposed of you guys already, based on my principle, but sadly, none of you can get in my way right now."_

_His eye twitched when he heard me. I could tell he was starting to get angry as he raised his tone a bit to show his anger, "Just admit it already. You won't be able to get your job done. We're gonna stop you."_

_I took a sip from the glass of wine in my hand and looked at the ceiling. I stayed silent for a while before I spoke again, "The party… it's going to end soon, right?" _

_Kiyoteru's expression was of mixed emotions from confusion to anger. "What do you mean by that?" he asked me as he became the embodiment of wrath._

_White Storyline_

_I could not stop the happiness which kept flowing out of me from my mouth in the form of giggles._

_"Mademoiselle, may I dance with you?" someone suddenly asked me while I was focusing on the view in front of me._

_"I'm sorry. Bu―" I had intended to reject it, but my words stopped suddenly when I looked at the red-haired gentlemen who had asked me. I smiled. His body was bowing a bit as he offered his left hand towards me._

_"Yes, it's an honor," I said, putting my left palm on his opened hand. Once our hands were connected with each other, he guided me towards the place where the swarm of couples was waltzing. The red-haired gentlemen slowly brought my hand onto his lips and kissed it. I felt my face flush. The happiness inside me grew bigger as his lips touched the surface of my skin. _

_He pulled me gently towards his chest. I placed my right hand on his shoulder while his right hand rested on my waist. My body was so close to his chest. I could hear his heartbeat, smell his scent and feel the heat traveling inside his body. We started with a small, slow movement; he led while I followed._

_The world around us felt quiet as we danced. My mind was drowning in passion, making me feel like no one else existed; it was just him and me in this room, only us. Am I dreaming? If the answer is yes, please don't wake me. Only two of us exist in this world right now._

_I looked back at his gentle face. He was smiling at me. Our feet were leading us in any direction they wanted. He was enjoying this, and so was I._

_The one I love…._

_Please only look at me…_

_Crimson Storyline_

_The gaze of her eyes showed the passion inside her. I never thought that I could stand in this place, dancing with her right now. Thinking back about it, everything was once in chaos, almost to the point of no return. Then the miracle happened, leading me to the present._

_I felt grateful that I could love this woman in front of me. Her beauty was the first thing that charmed me, along with the time. One by one I came to accept everything about her, whether it was part of her bad side or part of her good side. We trusted each other, we understood each other, and we loved each other, the bond that would never shatter. Nothing could replace her being with me right now. _

_We glided across the floor, my hand holding hers, our fingers entwined together, refusing to release. We spun around before we broke apart, with only our left hands as a connection. My hand pulled her, rising upwards past her head, and she spun before she fell into my arms._

_I hugged her closer, feeling the warmth beneath her skin. Then suddenly she encircled her arms around my neck, pulling me closer to meet my lips with hers. A romantic kiss, I could feel her breath flowing through my mouth. Her lips were soft and passionate, my hand sneaked onto her back, deepening our kiss. I wanted to stay like this as long as possible, but I knew we can't do it too long or else people would notice us._

_Our lips break apart as we realized this fact. Her eyes still gazing at me, I smiled, she smiled. I wanted this moment to last forever. _

_It was not long till I heard a scream, which signaled the end of our passionate moment. I saw Shiki at the entrance door. He left the room with two kids following him. Sadness shrouded my heart, sadness that I could not save him, the lonely assassin. I thought our words could reach him, but he had shut his heart to us. He felt nothing, nothing at all. His Principle had become the most important thing in that child's life. I felt nothing for criminals, but family… is different. Why didn't he stop? Why must he do this?_

…

…

_Fireflies Storyline_

_I could finally ditch those two children while the castle was filled with screams and people were running around aimlessly. I could see both children vanish into a swarm of people when I walked the bridge connecting the castle and the town. In my research, people would usually feel sympathy around this time, but the research was wrong. I didn't feel anything at all when they vanished. I was the same as usual, coldly walking away. _

_I was supposed to return to my room, it was supposed to be like that. But my feet carried me somewhere else as I was lost in the blank world of my mind. My feet carried me to a house deep inside the forest, the house where I first opened my eyes today._

_The inside of the house was dark and lonely, like nothing had lived there for a few years, if you excluded the dust-free furniture. In the midst of the darkness, I could hear a faint voice coming from behind the house. A few meters behind the house was a lake with waterfall. It was a pretty big lake, but despite its size, the water was actually not so deep. At least it wouldn't be able drown a teen or adult._

_Out of curiosity, I took a step further. The range of my sight extended as I walked deeper, giving me full sight of the lake. It was so huge that it could swallow the whole town, but my eyes were fixed solely on the girl in the lake._

_Her body was fully exposed to my eyes. Her hands were both hugging her as the waterfall rained on her body. The water in her palm was pouring, sliding through her entire body. The white skin was covered with streams of water gliding down it. Her long, wet hair was not tied up like usual, the momentary wind brushing away her long hair and making it sway. Droplets of water fell back into lake. The girl's eyes were closed while her lips chanted a spell called "song," both her palms buried into her chest. _

_I watched from afar without her noticing. The spell she chanted, along with her figure, has etched itself into my mind. The sound of waterfall didn't disturb the soft sound she used to chant._

_**Sora o miagete negau no wa **_

_**Kanashimi no nai sekai **_

_**Ano hi nakushita namida kara **_

_**Hikari ga koboreta**_

_**I look up at the sky **_

_**And pray for a world without sorrow **_

_**From the tears I lost that day **_

_**Light spills**_

_**Kokoro kakushita utagoe ni **_

_**Yawaraka na hi ga irodoru **_

_**Katamichi dake no hane o mune ni **_

_**Doko made ikeru ka na**_

_**I hid my heart in the singing of my voice **_

_**Painted by the gentle sunshine **_

_**With wings that flap only one way in my heart **_

_**I wonder how far I can go**_

_**Itsu made mo yasashii kimi de ite **_

_**Dareka o omou tsuyosa de **_

_**Ashita wa kitto kagayaku yo ne **_

_**Konna kimochi... doushite darou **_

_**Mabuta ga atsukunaru**_

_**Please remain the sweet person you are **_

_**With the strong feelings you hold for someone **_

_**I know you will shine tomorrow **_

_**This feeling... I wonder why **_

_**My eyelids are starting to sting**_

_**Kizukanu uchi ni komarasete **_

_**Nani o motometeitan darou **_

_**Maiodoru sono senaka e to **_

_**Omoi ga afureta**_

_**I was a nuisance to you without even realizing it **_

_**What was it I was expecting out of you? **_

_**Towards your gracefully dancing back **_

_**My feelings overflowed**_

_**Ima koko ni aru hibi no naka **_

_**Jibun de kimete susumou **_

_**Yukidoke ni mo nita omokage ni **_

_**Kibou ga saiteyuku**_

_**Now, here, in the days I live **_

_**I'll make my own decisions and move on **_

_**From the traces that melt away like snow **_

_**Hope blossoms**_

_**Itsu no hi ka tobitateru yuuki o **_

_**Dakishimete aruiteyukou **_

_**Taisetsu na kimi no hitomi no naka utsuru egao **_

_**Meguriaete hontou ni yokatta**_

_**Embracing the courage to one day fly **_

_**I'm going to carry on **_

_**In the eyes of someone as precious as you reflect my smile **_

_**I'm truly glad to have met you**_

_**Toumei na hane de tsutsumareta **_

_**Namida no nukumori **_

_**Zutto wasurenai wasurenai yo...**_

_**I will never, ever forget **_

_**The warmth of the tears **_

_**Wrapped in transparent wings...**_

_**Itsu made mo yasashii kimi de ite **_

_**Dareka o omou tsuyosa de **_

_**Ashita wa kitto kagayaku yo ne **_

_**Shinjiteku yo **_

_**Meguriaete hontou ni yokatta**_

_**Please remain as the sweet person you are **_

_**With the strong feelings you hold for someone **_

_**I know you will shine tomorrow **_

_**I believe it **_

_**I'm truly glad to have met you**_

_Her voice sounded childish yet mature, but another thing that drew my attention was the difference of her voice. Although only slightly, I could tell she used a different kind of sound when she sang and when she talked. Based on this, I could conclude… that she was a Siren._

_The little Siren noticed me when she done singing. Her face turned a crimson color the instant she laid eyes on me. Quickly, she hid her exposed skin by sinking it under the water. Her head turned away from me; she couldn't bear to look at me. From my side, I could still see faintly the blush on her face. Knowing she wouldn't come out until I disappeared from her sight, I decided to go back to the house. She might catch a cold if she stayed there too long._

…

…

_White Storyline_

_As the sound of the carriage lingered in the silent atmosphere between him and me, I could not keep my eyes away from him. Akaito put his hand under his chin and kept looking outside the carriage. He had been like that ever since we entered the carriage. His upset looks told me that he regretted that he could not save him, not the victim whom Shiki killed, but the Shiki himself._

_"How long this going to continue…? Has saving him really become impossible already?" he suddenly spoke, breaking the silence._

_I held his warm hand before I said, "N… I am sure we can save him. If you give up now, then no one will be able to save him."_

_He closed his eyes, reminiscing about tonight's accident. "I tried countless times to talk to him, but not even once did it reach his heart. I wanted to tell the authorities about this, but I couldn't when I saw that child's back. I can't stand seeing him being hunted. But if I don't, he will walk further into darkness. What should I do?"_

_"We all feel the same way, that's why we're working so hard to sa-"_

_"Then when will he be saved! More victims will fall!" he shouted before I could finish my words. It startled me a bit, but after a while he realized his anger was taking over. He covered his eyes, at the same time touching his forehead._

_"I am sorry, Haku," he apologized. I knew he was desperate about it. _

_"It's alright," I replied._

_"That child… his eyes can only see hate, he cannot see anything other than that." _

_I took his hands that covered his eyes, and leaned in to kiss him. A quick, chaste kiss, before I looked at his burning crimson colored irises. "Dear, you saved me from the darkness. I am sure we can open that child's eyes the same way you opened my eyes."_

_After hearing my words, the tenseness in his body suddenly disappeared. His lips formed a smile. "Thank you."_

_I smiled back at him. We were trying together to save Shiki. If we fell into despair, then he would be forever lost in darkness._

_His hands caressed my cheeks, sliding slowly down my face before he leaned in closer. Our lips were only a small distance from each other, his breath tickled my lips. The air entering my lips somehow became another's in an instant. I could feel him drawing my face closer and clo-_

_CREAKKK!_

_The vehicle stopped suddenly, causing a tremor inside the carriage. He held my hand while my head leaned onto his chest. His other hand was on my back, protecting me from being flung to the front._

_"Wait here," he told me, then opened the carriage door and stepped outside._

_Crimson Storyline_

_As I stepped outside, I could see the man who had been driving the carriage kicking something on the ground. Since his back was covering my field of vision, I could not see clearly what he was kicking._

_"You bastard! Get out of the way!" he shouted, while kicking something I could not see._

_I got closer to him and asked, "What's wrong?"_

_His face turned pale the moment I asked him and he turned his head. "N-No-nothing is wrong, sir! It was only some obstacle in the way that caused me to brake suddenly. I-I humbly apologize for the inconvenience. P-p-please go back inside! I will take care of this problem," said the man as he took off his hat, placed it on his chest and bowed deeply._

_"Obstacle? May I see what is it?" I asked._

_The carriage man became tense the moment I asked, but eventually he moved aside and bowed deeply," A-as you wish, Sir."_

_The shadows shrouded the thing I wanted to see, and I could not see it clearly from where I was standing. I took another step closer to it, and my eyes widened as the light shone on it._

_A boy, a green-haired boy was lying on the floor, his hand hugging his stomach. The bruises on his body were visible; I could see them through the torn clothes he was wearing. The boy coughed several times and tightened his hug, which made me snap out of my trance. Without thinking further, I carried the boy in my arms and walked back inside the carriage. The carriage driver's expression become scared._

_"Move the carriage," I said with a firm tone._

_"B-but sir!"_

_"I SAID MOVE THE DAMN CARRIAGE!"_

__END OF MEMORIES__

_**Disclaimer : I do not own the song mentioned here or Vocaloid**_

_**Song : Toumei Na Hane De by Takagaki Ayahi**_

_**Editor : **_**UlquiorraNoKokoro**


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